Stairway to Heaven
by angelfire136
Summary: Alternate Endings Series: After Killing Peter Pettigrew in the final battle, Remus Lupin reflects on the lives and deaths of the marauders.


Disclaimer: i own the idea. jk rowling owns everything else.

The World took on a slow moving, eerily quiet quality as Remus Lupin dropped to his knees. Beneath him, the marshy ground squelched. He blinked. The battle raged chaotic around him, but somehow, he couldn't feel it. He couldn't see it. All he could see was the body in front of him. All he could see was the body that used to be Peter Pettigrew. Unblinkingly, Lupin's eyes moved to the wand in his own hand. It had finally come full circle. He had killed Peter, just as Peter had killed James, and aided in Sirius's death.

Their group was gone, three of its members resided on a different plane than his own. How odd, that they had all gone before him. He was the oldest, the one with the delicate condition. He had always thought—but then, there were circumstances that changed everything. Circumstances like Voldemort's rise. Circumstances like Peter's betrayal.

Remus looked around him. Death incarnate reigned over the bloody field. How had the four of them ended this way? Why had things taken this turn? He supposed it was inevitable.

He figured he should be in traumatic shock, but Lupin felt calm and clear headed. It was probably because his former friend's death hadn't sunk in. Or maybe it was the fact that ALL his friends were gone hadn't sunk in. Everyone. Nobody left. He was all alone.

He stood, a weird look playing across his face. He looked down at peter, and then began to walk. He walked away, as they all should have done. He walked and walked, until he couldn't walk anymore. Then he sat.

The battle ground's surroundings were really quite breathtaking. A stream ran across the field, birds sat watching him through the foliage of the nearby forest, the sky was a beautiful blue. He supposed it was a nice place to have a battle if you had to have one.

Without warning, James's image appeared in front of him. Lupin stared at it, willing it to leave. But it didn't. It sat beside him. Soon, Sirius's likeness appeared and did the same. They all sat, near the stream, within hearing distance of the battle for the world, and stared.

They stared at the ground, fresh spring grass sprouting from it, at the deer wandering senseless through the wood, at each other, in small glances.

Peter appeared. He sat quietly, several feet away. He knew his place.

Remus closed his eyes, and his friends were still beside him, even behind closed eyelids. But now, they were the friends he had known at school, not Peter as the traitor or Sirius as the hunted, just four teenagers in need of a little fun. In his mind, they were on the grounds, just after exams finished, under their tree, joking and laughing. Their books were discarded, flung carelessly about them. James was running his hand through his hair, Sirius's gaze was locked on several girls nearby, and he was just gently studying his best friends.

He was enjoying the time together. He wished he had known, back then, about everything to come. He would have valued their time all the more. But it wasn't meant to be. They were all meant to be completely ignorant of the fate awaiting them.

He wished with his whole heart that there had never been a Lord Voldemort. But there was. There was, and he needed to be stopped. Lupin's eyes snapped open. His friends faded, and he realized something. He had to stop the dark lord from destroying more friends, and more families.

He broke into a run. He reached the battle field and ran headlong towards where Harry and lord Voldemort were locked in battle. Throwing caution to the wind, Lupin lunged at Voldemort, and was caught by the force of the torture curse. He heard Harry shout. The boy used the distraction to produce the killing curse, in one instant freeing the world of Voldemort's particular brand of evil. A cheer rang up from the field. Lupin smiled faintly. he had done it. had helped in making sure no more would suffer at the hands of that man.

He saw Harry's face above him. It blurred, and became James. A tear trickled down Remus' cheek.

"So much like your father, Harry…"muttered Lupin. "Cherish the ones you love…friends… mean the world." He trailed.

Harry looked down at him gravely, and nodded.

The force of the cruciatus curse had been too strong for Remus' weak body. He was dying.THIS was the end they had come to. The friendship that had begun so innocently, that had become so beautiful, had been reduced to ashes.

Slowly, the world dissolved. In front of him stood the real James, with Sirius at his side.

"Hello, friend." said James quietly. Remus stood, finding his weakness and pain had vanished. He was on school grounds. Lupin grinned, and he wrapped his arms around the shoulders of the men he loved most in the world. Slowly, they walked towards their favorite tree.

Well, ashes to ashes, he thought. We all fall down.


End file.
